Afghanistan

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) Afghan women, and (b) women of other nationalities, will be at the main table at the London conference on Afghanistan.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The spokesperson for the Afghan Women's Network was the only Afghan woman who attended the main London conference. She gave a presentation on behalf of Afghan women and circulated a written statement on this to all conference participants. A delegation of Afghan female leaders was also involved in a series of events in the run up to the conference. They took part in a civil society conference where they made statements, and questioned and lobbied FCO Ministers. Members of the delegation also attended a reception on the eve of the conference, where they used the opportunity to lobby President Karzai, Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton and other Foreign Ministers. In addition, the delegation attended a parliamentary meeting which took place at the House of Commons to discuss gender, peace and security in relation to Afghanistan.
	Other conference attendees were Foreign Ministers from ISAF partners, Afghanistan's immediate neighbours and key regional partners together with representatives from NATO, the World Bank, IMF and other international organisations. Three of these participants were women.
	The UK is fully committed to gender equality and fullysupports implementation of UNSCR 1325, to protect the rights of women and girls in areas suffering conflict and to incorporate their perspectives in conflict resolution and peacekeeping planning. To encourage the Afghan Government to implement this resolution we are funding various programmes, to promote women's equal participation in governance and to build awareness of women's rights among civil society and policy-makers. This includes funding of £200,000 to support the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission; £737,000 to UNIFEM's Elimination of Violence against Women Special Fund; and £500,000 to a five-year women's empowerment programme.

Afghanistan

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Pashtun speakers there are (a) serving in Her Majesty's Armed Forces, (b) serving in Her Majesty's armed forces and deployed to Afghanistan, and (c) locally engaged in Afghanistan alongside Her Majesty's Armed Forces.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: There are approximately 150 service personnel registered as fluent Pashtun speakers serving in HM Forces. The number of personnel deployed to Afghanistan varies and currently stands at nine. A variety of other languages are spoken across HM Forces and the vast majority of personnel receive a basic level of language training before deploying to Afghanistan. We currently employ approximately 525 local civilians as interpreters in support of HM Forces in Afghanistan.

Armed Forces: Combat Clothing

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many sets of multi-terrain pattern combat clothing will be distributed to (a) members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in Afghanistan, and (b) the Army, (1) by the end of 2010, and (2) by the end of 2011.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: 28,000 sets of multi-terrain pattern (MTP) combat clothing are expected to be delivered to military personnel in Afghanistan by the end of 2010 and another 28,000 by the end of 2011.
	As combat clothing is a personal issue item, service personnel return to the UK with their MTP at the end of their tour of duty.
	As a four-year rollout plan, it is anticipated that MTP will be issued to all other UK personnel from April 2011.

Armed Forces: Combat Clothing

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many sets of mark 7 helmets will be distributed to (a) members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in Afghanistan, and (b) the Army, (1) by the end of 2010, and (2) by the end of 2011.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: 15,000 mark 7 helmets will have been delivered to Afghanistan by the end of 2010; and another 15,000 will have been delivered by the end of 2011.
	There are no plans to issue the mark 7 helmet to troops not deployed on operations, who will continue to be issued with the mark 6a helmet; however, because helmets are a personal issue item, personnel retain and will continue to use their helmet after their tour of duty.

Armed Forces: Suppliers

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Quentin Davies, on 3 November 2009 (Official Report, Commons, 3/11/09; col. 832 WA), who has been awarded catering, retail and leisure contracts for feeding service personnel living in United Kingdom units; and in respect of which bodies other than United Kingdom service units are such contracts used.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: ESS Compass, Serco, Sodexo, Aramark, VT Flagship, Avenance and ISS currently have contracts for supplying catering, retail and leisure (CRL) services, or in some cases catering services alone, to service personnel living in UK units. The contracts can also cater for visiting military and civilian personnel, as well as for non-resident personnel who work at the sites concerned. No other bodies are served by these contracts.

Benefits: Polish Nationals

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Polish nationals are claiming social security benefits; and how many National Insurance numbers have been issued to Polish nationals since Poland's accession to the European Union.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Information on nationality of benefit recipients is not available for benefit scans. Information is available on the number of national insurance registrations to adult overseas nationals who go on to claim an out of work benefit within six months of national insurance number registration, but this is not available by nationality.
	The available information for the number of national insurance numbers issued to Polish nationals since Poland's accession to the European Union is in the table. This information is also available on the Department for Work and Pensions website at http://research.dwp .gov.uk/asd/.
	
		
			 National insurance numbers issued to Polish nationals since Poland's accession to the European Union in May 2004 
			 Apr 04 to Jun 04 4,970 
			 Jul 04 to Sep 04 11,960 
			 Oct 04 to Dec 04 17,510 
			 Jan 05 to Mar 05 26,680 
			 Apr 05 to Jun 05 32,210 
			 Jul 05 to Sep 05 44,190 
			 Oct 05 to Dec 05 41,660 
			 Jan 06 to Mar 06 53,020 
			 Apr 06 to Jun 06 38,190 
			 Jul 06 to Sep 06 49,700 
			 Oct 06 to Dec 06 51,300 
			 Jan 07 to Mar 07 81,240 
			 Apr 07 to Jun 07 48,050 
			 Jul 07 to Sep 07 63,370 
			 Oct 07 to Dec 07 49,880 
			 Jan 08 to Mar 08 49,370 
			 Apr 08 to Jun 08 40,750 
			 Jul 08 to Sep 08 40,530 
			 Oct 08 to Dec 08 21,670 
			 Jan 09 to Mar 09 31,400 
			 Apr 09 to Jun 09 16,590 
			 Notes:1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.3. Some additional disclosure control has been applied.4. Registration date is derived from the date at which a national insurance number is maintained on the national insurance recording system. 5. Poland joined the European Union in May 2004.Source: 100% extract from national insurance recording system.

Bonuses

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the practice of paying bonuses to staff of non-departmental public bodies began; and what was the total paid in each year since 1997.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how supervision is exercised of the payment of bonuses and allowances for nominated Government bodies.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: This is a matter for individual non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Information on bonuses paid to NDPB staff is not held centrally.
	The Government have, however, announced in the Pre-Budget Report fundamental reforms to pay-setting for senior staff across the public sector. The Pre-Budget Report announced that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury will in future approve pay levels in excess of £150,000 for all appointments to public sector bodies which are subject to ministerial approval. This will also apply to bonus payments of over £50,000 where ministerial sign-off is needed. For public sector bodies where ministerial approval is not required, the Government expect all organisations making senior managerial appointments in excess of £150,000 to publicly justify this level, and any bonus in excess of £50,000, to the relevant Secretary of State.
	All public sector bodies subject to direct ministerial control will be required to publish the salary, including benefits in kind and the level of any bonus, of named individuals paid more than £150,000. The Government will expect all other public bodies to comply with this level of disclosure.

British Citizenship

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong have approached the Consulate General of India to inform them that in connection with applications for British citizenship, British Nationals (Overseas) with a connection to Hong Kong who were born in India, have a parent who holds Indian citizenship, or have lived in India at any time for more than five years will be expected to submit personalised letters from the Indian authorities stating whether they hold Indian citizenship or nationality, whether they previously held Indian citizenship or nationality, and the date on which the person ceased to hold Indian citizenship or nationality and why; and, if not, whether they will write to the Indian Consulate General explaining the requirement for the letters and request them to issue such letters, and place a copy in the Library of the House together with any response received.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: No, as they are already used to dealing with such requests.

Carers

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will review the level of the Carer's Allowance.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The level is reviewed annually and uprated in April, in line with the September Retail Prices Index. This year, however, the September Retail Prices Index was negative so, as announced in the uprating statement, to help carers during the early stages of economic recovery we are proposing bringing forward a 1.5% increase. This means that the weekly rate of carer's allowance will be increased from £53.10 to £53.90 in April 2010.
	We also propose to increase the carer's allowance weekly earnings limit from £95 to £100 in April 2010.

Children: Healthy Eating

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to promote healthy potato eating, particularly amongst children.

Baroness Thornton: As part of a balanced diet, the Government continue to recommend that starchy foods, including potatoes, should make up about a third of the food that is eaten. The Government have no immediate plans to promote one particular starchy food above another. All government healthy eating messages look to promote food choices that are lower in saturated fat, sugars and salt.
	The Government utilise a variety of mechanisms and approaches to promote healthy eating messages to different target audiences, including children and young people, for example through written resources, websites and consumer awareness raising campaigns.

Community Cohesion

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money has been (a) allocated, and (b) committed, for community cohesion projects in (1) 2009-10, and (2) 2011-12.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: £23 million has been committed and allocated to local authorities for community cohesion work for the year 2009-10. No money has been allocated or committed to cohesion projects for the year 2011-12.

Community Relations

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the University of Cambridge to publish its report on contextualising Islam in Britain.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Cambridge University, with the universities of Exeter and Westminster, published this report on Tuesday 6 October 2009, and it was launched by my honourable friend the member for Dewsbury (Shahid Malik).
	The report can be found on the following web site:
	http://www.cis.cam.ac.uk/CIBP.html.

Constable of the Tower of London

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many days since his appointment the Constable of the Tower of London has used the accommodation provided for him.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Constable of the Tower is an appointment made by Her Majesty the Queen based on advice from the Chiefs of Staff. However, the Tower of London and its trustees are managed by Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity, which is sponsored by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Education: ESOL

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Norwood Green on 14 December 2009 (WA 176-7), how much of the £600 million to be invested in Skills for Life in 2010-11 will be spent on providing English language instruction.

Lord Young of Norwood Green: The funding spent by the Learning and Skills Council on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision in academic years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 was given in my Answer to the noble Baroness on 14 Dec 2009, Official Report, col. WA 177.
	The final figure for actual spend in 2008-09 is not yet available and it is not possible at this stage to provide information on how much will be spent in the current year or future years. However, the overall Skills for Life budget remains at a similar level to previous years, and assumptions around the proportion that will be spent on ESOL also remain the same. While training organisations have autonomy to decide how to allocate Skills for Life funding between literacy, numeracy and ESOL in order to meet government targets and respond to local demand, we would expect the level of investment in ESOL to remain at a similar level to previous years.
	We are working with employers, employer organisations and Trade Unions as well as Sector Skills Councils and other stakeholders to ensure ESOL provision continues to meet their needs in helping people to obtain and progress in employment as well as promoting and supporting community cohesion.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the internal background note for each parliamentary question tabled by Lord Alton of Liverpool and answered by the Department of Health since January 2009.

Baroness Thornton: Background notes for the 130 parliamentary questions tabled and answered since January 2009 have been placed in the Library. Sensitive personal information has been removed.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Baroness Thornton on 27 January (WA 337), what have been the costs to date incurred by the Consent Order described in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's press statement of 13 October 2008; and whether any additional costs were incurred by the Authority in the form of professional and administrative fees.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Baroness Thornton on 27 January (WA 337), whether the cited costs take account of a failed disciplinary action against Dr Mohamed Taranissi that had been brought before the General Medical Council; and what role was played by any members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in those proceedings.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Baroness Thornton on 27 January (WA 337), whether any costs were paid to Charles Lewington for services to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; and, if so, what were the associated costs and the nature of any services provided.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Baroness Thornton on 27 January (WA 337) regarding employment by the Department of Health of a former member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) responsible for the warrant and overturned licensing decision, (a) what were the subsequent responsibilities of the individual concerned when employed as Director of Public Health Performance and Delivery; (b) whether an increase in salary was associated with this position compared to the individual's previous earnings when employed by the HFEA; and (c) what judgments had been made regarding the previous performance of this individual during the course of judicial proceedings.

Baroness Thornton: The responsibilities of the Director of Public Health Performance and Delivery included:
	strengthening the strategic coordination of public health;
	sexual health;
	social marketing principles;
	drug abuse and blood-borne disease;
	stop smoking services/sale and promotion of tobacco products; and
	analytical input into health improvement and public health delivery.
	There was no increase in salary associated with this position compared to the individual's previous earnings when employed at the HFEA.
	No judgments have been made by the Department of Health on the individual's performance during judicial proceedings.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the dates for Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) inspections of centres 0017, 0157 and 0206 since 2004; whether each of these inspections was unannounced; what were the names of the inspectors on each occasion; and what were the names of HFEA licence committee members who reviewed information from these inspections.

Baroness Thornton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that as a result of the consent order it met the applicant's legal costs of £188,754, which included interest. Other costs were incurred in the form of professional and administrative fees, which were met by the authority's overall budget for those fees. The total cost of the authority's professional and administrative fees is outlined in its annual reports, copies of which are in the Library and available on the HFEA's website at: www.hfea.gov.uk.
	The cited costs do not take into account the General Medical Council (GMC) proceedings that the noble Lord refers to because the authority was not party to these proceedings. No members of the authority played a role in these proceedings. Two members of staff and one former member of staff provided witness statements to the GMC. Subsequently, one of the members of staff and the former staff member were called upon to give evidence to the GMC. Some minor costs were incurred in this regard.
	The HFEA has advised that it paid Hanover Communications, of which Charles Lewington is managing director, £71,184 for services provided by his public relations consultancy during 2007 and 2008.
	The HFEA has also advised that the nature of an inspection, the members of the authority and the members of staff involved, are outlined in the relevant inspection reports and licence committee meeting minutes, the most recent of which are published on the authority's website. The HFEA has advised that it will take a significant amount of time to compile the information requested by the noble Lord, relating to inspection reports and licence committee minutes since 2004. Therefore, I have asked the authority's interim chief executive to endeavour to complete this work within 20 working days and I will write to the noble Lord as soon as I receive the information and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Employment

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many jobs have been created for British people since the Prime Minister's announcement in 2007.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Against the backdrop of the global economic downturn, employment of UK nationals fell by 483,000 between Q3 2007 and Q3 2009, and stands at 26.725 million in Q3 2009. UK nationals represent over 90% of those in employment.
	The Government have invested significantly since the recession started to help those on out-of-work benefits get back to work, substantially increasing funding to Jobcentre Plus to enable it to expand its services to jobseekers and announcing a substantial package of new measures to provide people with extra support prior to redundancy, when they are newly unemployed, and at the six-month and 12-month points of their claim.
	Overall, as a result of measures we have taken, the impact on the labour market has been less marked than in previous recessions. Between the three months to the end of May 2008 and the three months to end of October 2009, total employment is down by 637,000 (2.2 per cent), compared to a 1.1 million (4.2 per cent) fall over a similar period in the 1990s and 785,000 (3.1 per cent) in the 1980s.

Employment

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of employed people in each constituency in Greater Manchester work in (a) the public sector, (b) the private sector, and (c) the voluntary sector.

Baroness Crawley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 2 February 2010.
	Dear Lord Bradley,
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Question asking what percentage of employed people in each constituency in Greater Manchester work in (a) the public sector, (b) the private sector, and (c) the voluntary sector. [HL1781]
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	Individuals are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the APS. Consequently, the classification of an individual's sector may differ from how they would be classified in the national accounts. Estimates of persons working in the voluntary sector are not available from the APS.
	Table 1 shows the number and percentage of persons employed in the public and private sectors in each constituency in Greater Manchester from the APS for the period July 2008 to June 2009. As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in table 1.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count, are available on the NOMIS website at http://www.nomisweb.co.uk.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number and percentage of persons in employment in the public and private sectors, resident in Parliamentary Constituencies in Greater Manchester, July 2008 to June 2009 
			  Private Public 
			  Number1 (thousands) per cent Number1 (thousands) per cent 
			 Altrincham and Sale West 36** 78 10*** 22 
			 Ashton under Lyne 30** 77 9*** 23 
			 Bolton North East 24*** 77 7*** 23 
			 Bolton South East 30** 71 12*** 29 
			 Bolton West 31** 72 12*** 28 
			 Bury North 32** 74 11*** 26 
			 Bury South 31** 75 10*** 25 
			 Cheadle 30** 77 9*** 23 
			 Denton and Reddish 35** 78 10*** 22 
			 Eccles 32** 73 12*** 27 
			 Hazel Grove 26** 74 9*** 26 
			 Heywood and Middleton 33** 75 11*** 25 
			 Leigh 31** 75 10*** 25 
			 Makerfield 31** 75 11*** 25 
			 Manchester, Blackley 30*** - -**** - 
			 Manchester Central 27*** 70 12*** 30 
			 Manchester, Gorton 27*** - -**** - 
			 Manchester, Withington 33*** 69 15*** 31 
			 Oldham East and Saddleworth 34** 72 13*** 28 
			 Oldham West and Royton 30** 74 10*** 26 
			 Rochdale 31** 74 11*** 26 
			 Salford 24** 78 6*** 22 
			 Stalybridge and Hyde 30** 74 11*** 26 
			 Stockport 32** 72 12*** 28 
			 Stretford and Urmston 28** 74 10*** 26 
			 Wigan 32** 76 10*** 24 
			 Worsley 34** 77 10*** 23 
			 Wythenshawe and Sale East 45** 80 11*** 20 
			 Source: Annual Population Survey - Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes 
			 1 Coefficients of Variation have been calculated as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. 
		
	
	Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate. The smaller the CV value, the higher the quality.
	
		
			 Coefficient of Variation 
			 Key (CV) ( %) Statistical Robustness 
			 * 0 CV < 5 Estimates are considered precise. 
			 ** 5 CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise. 
			 *** 10 CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable. 
			 **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes

Environment: Dry Stone Walling

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many miles of dry stone walling restoration have been completed with assistance from the Countryside Stewardship Scheme since 2002.

Lord Davies of Oldham: A total of 984 kilometres (611.4 miles) of stone walls have been restored under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) since 2000. A further 135 kilometres (83.8 miles) have been restored under the Higher Level Stewardship strand of Environmental Stewardship since 2005, making a total of 1,119 kilometres (695 miles).

Environment: Hedgerows

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many miles of hedgerow have been created over each of the past 10 years.

Lord Davies of Oldham: It is not possible to provide an annual breakdown of figures. Since 2000 some 4,467 kilometres (2,775.6 miles) of hedgerow have been planted under three main agri-environment schemes: Countryside Stewardship, Environmentally Sensitive Areas and the Higher Level Stewardship strand of Environmental Stewardship.

Environment: Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government which sites of special scientific interest have been subject to management schemes; when each scheme commenced; which sites have been served a management notice; and when such management notices were served.

Lord Davies of Oldham: To date, only one SSSI management scheme has been served. This was served on Kings and Bakers Woods and Heaths site of special scientific interest, which is located in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It was notified on 1 July 2004 and confirmed on 10 November 2004. No objections or representations were received. The scheme outlined the woodland management required in order for the SSSI to achieve favourable condition.
	To date, no SSSI management notices have been served.

Environment: Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the total area of Sites of Special Scientific Interest is in a favourable condition.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government have a public service agreement target for 95 per cent of SSSIs by area to be in favourable or recovering condition by December 2010; 90.95 per cent of sites of special scientific interest are now in target condition. This is made up of sites in both favourable and recovering condition. The percentage in favourable condition is 43.37 and that in recovering is 47.57.

Equality Bill

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government which European legislation is being transposed by the Equality Bill.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Government have transposed all existing equality directives by means of legislation currently in force. The Equality Bill replaces this legislation. The principal legislation replaced by the Bill is set out in paragraph 4 of the Explanatory Notes to the Bill, and the main European directives affecting the legislation are set out in paragraph 5.

Food: Additives

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will implement EC Regulation 133/2008 on food additives; and when.

Baroness Thornton: EC Regulation 1333/2008 on Food Additives is directly applicable in the United Kingdom; however, statutory instruments (SIs) are required in each of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to provide for enforcement and the necessary arrangements for the transition from legislative framework governed by European directives to one governed by directly applicable European regulations.
	In England, these are the Food Additives Regulations 2009 (to enforce the EC regulation and to prescribe penalties for non-compliance), and The Food (Jelly Mini-cups) (Emergency Control) Regulations 2009 (required to ensure legal continuity with regard to these products).
	These SIs came into force on 20 January 2010 in line with the application date of the EC regulation. Separate but similar SIs also came into force in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Food: Irradiation

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what resources they are planning to protect and inform the public of the incidence of irradiated foodstuffs.

Baroness Thornton: Regulations are in place across the United Kingdom covering the sale and import of irradiated food and the licensing and inspection of food irradiation facilities.
	Local authorities take targeted samples of products on sale as part of their routine enforcement work. European Directive 1999/2/EC requires the results of this sampling for irradiated foods to be reported to the European Commission and published annually in the Official Journal.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) works with local authorities to take action where illegally irradiated or mislabelled products are discovered. The FSA has also set up regular meetings with representatives of the food supplement industry on improving traceability and sampling of ingredients and to assist in producing an industry guidance document to help improve compliance with food irradiation legislation.
	All irradiated foods, or foods containing irradiated ingredients, must be labelled with the words "irradiated" or "treated with ionising radiation". This is a requirement of the Food Labelling Regulations 1996, as amended.

Food: Labelling

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the support amongst European Union member states for country of origin labelling on meat, dairy and poultry products.

Baroness Thornton: There are a range of indicative views held by European Union member states on origin labelling. Detailed discussion on the review of origin labelling in the proposal for the Food Information Regulation has yet to be held. So we expect member states positions to become clearer, but there seems to be widespread support for more information for consumers.

Food: Salt

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will meet representatives of United Kingdom restaurant owners and managers to discuss providing information to customers on salt content in dishes.

Baroness Thornton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds regular meetings with more than 40 major United Kingdom caterers and with trade bodies representing the catering industry, to promote healthier catering and provision of information to consumers. Discussions on activities relating to salt, including the provision of information to consumers about the salt content in dishes, are key components of these meetings.
	This work supports the Westminster Government's Healthy Weight Healthy Lives strategy, and forms part of the Healthy Food Code of Good Practice, which challenges industry to provide clear, effective and simple to understand nutrition information to consumers when eating out. The first step of this work has been the development of a scheme for the provision of calorie information. Consideration of wider consumer nutrition information needs will then follow.

Government Departments: Bonuses

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band

Lord Young of Norwood Green: An element of the BIS overall pay award for staff below the SCS is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award. There are two types of award: in-year bonuses, which consist of special individual performance awards and non-pay rewards that recognise strong performance in particularly demanding tasks for situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also have received an annual performance award. Annual performance awards are paid to members of staff who receive a highly successful performance rating.
	Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against predetermined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs.
	Performance awards for the SCS are part of the pay system across the whole Senior Civil Service, and are used to reward high performance sustained throughout the year, based on judgments of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers. The performance-related pay scheme is designed to help drive high performance and support better public service delivery. Performance awards are non-consolidated and non-pensionable. The percentage of the pay bill set aside for performance-related awards for the SCS is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
	BIS was formed through a Machinery of Government change that occurred in June 2009. The department was created by merging the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). DIUS and BERR were themselves created as part of a machinery of government change in June 2007. This means that BIS in its current format did not exist to award performance awards in any of the previous three years. The information below has been drawn from various data sources and provides details for both of the former departments that were merged to create BIS.
	
		
			 BERR End of Year Variable Pay Awards 
			  Financial Year 2006-07 Financial Year 2007-08 Financial Year 2008-09 
			  SCS Non-SCS SCS Non-SCS SCS Non-SCS 
			 Number of staff who received a non-consolidated performance payment 152 1,134 143 922 141 830 
			 Average value of non-consolidated performance payment £7,520 £1,225 £7,874 £1,236 £8,582 £1,242 
			 The value of maximum non-consolidated payment £15,000 £1,950 £16,500 £1,950 £17,000 £1,950 
			 Percentage of SCS paybill set aside for non-consolidated performance payments 6.50% N/A 7.60% N/A 8.60% N/A 
		
	
	
		
			 DIUS End of Year Variable Pay Awards 
			  Financial Year 2006-07 Financial Year 2007-08 Financial Year 2008-09 
			  SCS Non-SCS SCS Non-SCS SCS Non-SCS 
			 Number of staff who received a non-consolidated performance payment DIUS was not created until May 2007 20 4 33 180 
			 Average value of non-consolidated performance payment £9,141 £888 £7,401 £1,188 
			 The value of maximum non-consolidated payment £20,000 £1,700 £20,000 £2,166 
			 Percentage of SCS paybill set aside for non-consolidated performance payments 7.60% N/A 8.60% N/A 
		
	
	In addition, during these years a small number of individuals were employed by BERR and DIUS on non-standard SCS contracts that linked a higher percentage of their pay to delivery-based objectives. In 2006 the highest 2006 non-consolidated award was £27,794, in 2007 the highest non-consolidated award was £31,000 and in 2008 the highest non-consolidated award was £45,000.
	
		
			 In-Year Variable Pay Awards 
			  Financial Year 2006-07 Financial Year 2007-08 Financial Year 2008-09 
			  BERR DIUS BERR DIUS BERR DIUS 
			 Number of staff who received a non-consolidated performance payment 919 DIUS was not created until May 2007 1,238 N/A 1,218 N/A 
			 Average value of non-consolidated performance payment £535 £560 £482 
			 The value of maximum non-consolidated payment £5,000 £5,000 £4,721 
		
	
	1. In 2007-08 the majority of DIUS staff received a performance award from their previous department where they had spent the previous reporting year.
	2. For DIUS staff, in-year performance awards are given as vouchers and are administered locally at group level so we are unable to provide a detailed breakdown by grade. The total spend on in-year performance awards in 2007-08 was £21,125 and in 2008-09 was £13,855.
	3. We are unable to provide combined in-year and annual performance data as we are unable to identify the number of staff who received both an annual and an in-year reward.
	4. In all three years the total value of the bonuses paid was approximately 1.5 per cent of the total department's pay bill.

Government Departments: Bonuses

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008, to bring together:
	energy policy (previously with BERR, which is now BIS, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills); and
	climate change mitigation policy (previously with Defra, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).
	Therefore, the reply to this Question in respect of the Department of Energy and Climate Change is included in the Answer given today to the noble Lord, Lord Newby, by my noble friend the Minister for Postal Affairs and Employment Relations and the Answer given by my noble friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to Written Questions from the noble Lord Newby on 19 January 2010 (Official Report, cols. WA230-232).

Gurkhas

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the annual amount in sterling of the pension paid under the Gurkha pension scheme in each year from 1973 to 2000 to a retired Gurkha rifleman with 15 years' service who retired in 1973 aged 33; and what was the total paid out.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The annual amounts in sterling of the pension for a rifleman with 15 years' service who retired in 1973, regardless of age on discharge, are only available for the period 1996 to 2000 and are shown in the table below. Rates prior to this are not centrally held. However, estimates have previously been made for the period 1 April 1986 to 1 April 1995. These are also shown in the table below.
	
		
			 Year-as at 1 April Actual Estimated 
			 1986  £301 
			 1987  £311 
			 1988  £295 
			 1989  £299 
			 1990  £279 
			 1991  £236 
			 1992  £243 
			 1993  £280 
			 1994  £294 
			 1995  £303 
			 1996 £340  
			 1997 £345  
			 1998 £323  
			 1999 £334  
			 2000 £852  
			 Totals £2,194 £2,841 
		
	
	While these sums appear modest by United Kingdom standards, the fact remains that Gurkha pensions were designed for life in Nepal where they constituted a good income.
	Recent calculations on the value of Gurkha pensions have shown that a Gurkha rifleman who retired in 1994 aged 33 would have received some £61,000 at 2009 prices by the age of 60 before a soldier of the same service and rank in the Armed Forces pension scheme received any pension at all.

Health: Bilateral Agreements

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was paid to the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland by the United Kingdom under reciprocal health agreements in each of the last three years; and how much was paid by them to the United Kingdom.

Baroness Thornton: The United Kingdom Government pay an allocation to the Isle of Man, and paid an allocation to the Channel Islands as part of the reciprocal healthcare agreements held with both Crown Dependencies. The allocations are shown in the following table. The UK did not receive any financial income in return.
	
		
			 Financial allocation provided to Jersey 
			 2007-08 £3,828,000 
			 2006-07 £3,611,000 
			 2005-06 £2,358,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Financial allocation provided to Guernsey 
			 2007-08 £504,000 
			 2006-07 £475,000 
			 2005-06 £626,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Financial allocation provided to the Isle of Man 
			 2008-09 £2,800,000 
			 2007-08 £2,650,000 
			 2006-07 £2,500,000 
		
	
	In contrast to the reciprocal healthcare agreements with Crown Dependencies, the agreement with Ireland is based on European Social Security legislation. Payments made in any one year do not necessarily relate to costs incurred within that year.
	Within that context, the net payments the UK made to Ireland in each of the last three years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Year Net payment to Ireland 
			 2009 €286,579,608 
			 2008 €100,000,000 
			 2007 €450,000,000

Health: Care Assistants

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to requiring the regulation of healthcare assistants by the Nursing & Midwifery Council or the Health Professions Council.

Baroness Thornton: The department is considering the case for extending statutory regulation to any new groups in light of the recommendations of the Extending Professional Regulation Working Group.
	No decisions on the regulation of healthcare assistants have yet been taken/ We are aware that the Nursing and Midwifery Council has commissioned research in this area.

Health: Contaminated Blood Products

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 28 January (Official Report, 28/1/10; col. 367 WA), when they will respond to the letter sent by the Macfarlane Trust; and in what terms.

Baroness Thornton: The letter from the Macfarlane Trust suggested that comments I made during the second reading debate of the Contaminated Blood (Support for Infected Persons) Bill on 11 December 2009, were incorrect and that the Official Record should be corrected. I responded to the Macfarlane Trust on 5 February 2010, stating that my comments about insurance were based on advice that the Department of Health has received from the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The ABI stated that the general principle of insurance is that for voluntary insurance products, insurers must be able to offer terms that reflect the risk that an individual brings to the risk pool depending on, for example, the person's occupation, medical history and lifestyle. Depending upon the level of risk that an individual brings to the risk pool, the possible outcomes for someone applying for insurance could be:
	standard terms and conditions; or
	no cover offered due to an unacceptable level of risk; or
	a higher premium due to increased mortality or morbidity; and/or
	partial cover due to increased mortality or morbidity.
	This is consistent with my statement that in all cases, a person's insurability and the level of premiums are determined by the assessment of their individual risk. It is therefore not appropriate to amend the Official Report.
	Recognition of the higher cost of insurance premiums was one of the factors taken into account in making the extra payments to those infected with HIV.

Health: Contaminated Blood Products

Viscount Simon: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 28 January (WA 367), what representations were made in the letter sent by the Macfarlane Trust.

Viscount Simon: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 28 January (WA 367), what action they have taken arising from the letter sent by the Macfarlane Trust.

Baroness Thornton: The letter from the Macfarlane Trust suggested that comments I made during the second reading debate of the Contaminated Blood (Support for Infected Persons) Bill on 11 December 2009, were incorrect and that the Official Record should be corrected. I responded to the Macfarlane Trust on 5 February 2010, stating that my comments about insurance were based on advice that the Department of Health has received from the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The ABI stated that the general principle of insurance is that for voluntary insurance products, insurers must be able to offer terms that reflect the risk that an individual brings to the risk pool depending on, for example, the person's occupation, medical history and lifestyle. Depending upon the level of risk that an individual brings to the risk pool, the possible outcomes for someone applying for insurance could be:
	standard terms and conditions; or
	no cover offered due to an unacceptable level of risk; or
	a higher premium due to increased mortality or morbidity; and/or
	partial cover due to increased mortality or morbidity.
	This is consistent with my statement that in all cases, a person's insurability and the level of premiums are determined by the assessment of their individual risk. It is therefore not appropriate to amend the OfficialReport.
	Recognition of the higher cost of insurance premiums was one of the factors taken into account in making the extra payments to those infected with HIV.

Health: Dementia

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of people with dementia who, following diagnosis, are receiving appropriate social and medical care; and what is their estimate of the percentage for whom only crisis or late stage care is provided.

Baroness Thornton: This information is not collected centrally. The National Dementia Strategy, published a year ago, outlines the range of services that we want to see delivered so that people can live well with dementia. The department is commissioning an audit of dementia services across health and social care.

Health: EU Resident Citizens

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 2 February (WA 42), what is the average cost of healthcare per head in other countries covered by European Union Healthcare Costs Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72 on which United Kingdom payments are based.

Baroness Thornton: The following table shows the latest annual average costs for state pensioners and their dependents for all other member states of the European Economic Area and Switzerland, as published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Denmark and Iceland do not claim reimbursement for state pensioners living there, and so do not publish annual average costs. Bulgaria and Romania are yet to produce average costs since their accession to the European Union in 2007. Average costs are calculated for calendar years, in arrears, and are published in the local currency of the member state.
	
		
			 Country Currency Annual Average Cost Claim Year 
			 Austria EURO 4,437.30 2007 
			 Belgium EURO 4,775.84 2007 
			 Cyprus EURO 816.63 2005 
			 Czech Republic CZK 40,758.70 2007 
			 Estonia EEK 12,710.56 2007 
			 Finland EURO 3,799.91 2005 
			 France EURO 5,202.72 2007 
			 Germany EURO 4,558.33 2007 
			 Greece EURO 2,169.08 2006 
			 Hungary HUF 236,088.00 2007 
			 Ireland EURO 6,789.44 2004 
			 Italy EURO 2,704.45 2006 
			 Latvia LVL 320.07 2007 
			 Liechtenstein CHF 8,459.40 2007 
			 Lithuania LTL 2,241.18 2007 
			 Luxembourg EURO 8,432.37 2007 
			 Malta EURO 1,479.27 2006 
			 Netherlands EURO 9,212.14 2007 
			 Norway NOK 74,640.00 2007 
			 Poland PLN 2,203.05 2005 
			 Portugal EURO 1,845.42 2006 
			 Slovakia EURO 977.77 2005 
			 Slovenia EURO 1,559.55 2007 
			 Spain EURO 3,242.51 2007 
			 Sweden SEK 43,515.81 2007 
			 Switzerland CHF 6,836.65 2007

Health: Former UK Residents

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 2 February (WA 26), what are the terms of the agreement with the Republic of Ireland on the closure of the 2003-06 European Union healthcare costs account and the terms of settlement for 2007-09; what is the new system for agreeing the number of pensioners each country will be liable for; and what are the figures involved.

Baroness Thornton: Historically, the system for agreeing the number of pensioners each country will be liable for has been derived from a triennial survey.
	Under to terms of the agreement reached with Ireland for years 2003-06, both countries agreed to move to a per capita basis, rather than a per family basis. For the years 2007-09, the United Kingdom has agreed to accept liability for 40 per cent of the pensioner caseload.
	For future years, we are examining the practicalities of a system of pensioner registration.

Health: Reciprocal Agreements

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the net surplus or deficit experienced by the National Health Service in the financial years 2007-08 and 2008-09 arising out of the reciprocal health agreements between the United Kingdom and (a) the Isle of Man, (b) Jersey, (c) Guernsey, (d) Azerbaijan, (e) Georgia, (f) Ukraine, (g) Moldova, and (h) Serbia.

Baroness Thornton: The net deficit, based on the financial allocation provided under the bilateral healthcare agreement with the Isle of Man for 2007-08 and 2008-09 was £2.65 million and £2.8 million respectively. Over the same period, the net deficit, based on the financial allocation provided under the bilateral healthcare agreement with the Channel Islands was £4.332 million and £6,390,672.
	The agreements with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova and Serbia do not involve financial transactions.

Health: Republic of Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 20 January (WA 265), how many citizens of the Republic of Ireland seeking medical treatment in Northern Ireland presented E112 forms; and how much was reclaimed as a result.

Baroness Thornton: The following table shows the number of E112 forms issued in the Republic of Ireland and received by hospitals in Northern Ireland for planned treatment, and the combined cost of those treatments for which the United Kingdom claims reimbursement from the Republic of Ireland. Comparable data for previous years is not available.
	
		
			 Treatment year Number of E112 forms Claim Cost 
			 2007 28 £17,723.77 
			 2008 27 £26,986.50

Health: Tuberculosis-HIV Co-infection

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are combating tuberculosis-HIV co-infection in the United Kingdom and overseas.

Baroness Thornton: The following guidance documents have recommendations about tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infected patients, and the Department recommends that all service users follow these recommendations:
	Clinical Diagnosis and Management of Tuberculosis, and Measures for its Prevention and Control (National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), 2006);
	Tuberculosis Prevention and Treatment: a Toolkit for Planning, Commissioning and Delivering High-Quality Services in England (DH, 2007);
	Recommended Standards for NHS HIV Services (2003);
	HIV in Primary Care (2004); and
	HIV for non-HIV Specialists (2008)
	Copies of the documents have already been placed in the Library. Other Governments within the United Kingdom either follow these recommendations, or have developed their own local versions.
	The NICE guidelines recommend that all patients with tuberculosis should have a risk assessment for HIV, and upon sufficient suspicion that patient should be offered an HIV test along with any counselling required. NICE has clear recommendations about joint case management for co-infected cases by both TB and HIV professions. All London TB services have adopted a policy of automatically offering all TB patients an HIV test.
	The government response to TB-HIV co-infection overseas is led by the Department for International Development (DFID). There is a commitment of £1 billion between 2007 and 2015 to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and a 20-year (2006¬2026), commitment to the international drugs purchase facility UNITAID which is helping to increase access to and affordability of HIV and TB drugs.
	The Government also support the scale-up efforts to deliver universal access to TB and HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services by 2015; to strengthen health systems; to integrate health services, including HIV and TB; and to increase investment and facilitate research to promote the development of better tools for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of TB.

Health: Vaccinations

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are supporting the research and development of more effective diagnostics of, and vaccines against, tuberculosis.

Baroness Thornton: The Government have provided funding for novel diagnostic and vaccine research for tuberculosis (TB) to academia and the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
	The HPA has developed novel diagnostic assays to detect the TB bacterium and to identify drug resistant strains, particularly multi- and extensive drug resistant strains.
	Through its specialist facilities for preclinical vaccine evaluation studies, the HPA is also conducting research on more effective vaccines against TB.
	The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has separately funded the HPA to evaluate the predictive value of interferon gamma (IGRA) tests for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection, and to review the evidence for the duration of protection offered by current TB vaccine (BCG).
	Internationally, the Government are funding the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) for £5 million between 2009-14 to support their work on diagnostics for a range of diseases, including TB. The Government are also funding Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation for £8 million between 2009-14 to support development of new TB vaccines.
	In addition, the Government have provided £12 million for 2008-13 to the Tropical Disease Research (TDR) special research programme based at the World Health Organization. TDR is involved in a wide range of research including research on TB diagnostics.

Higher Education: Finance

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the effect of the recession on the cash balances and reserves of higher education institutions since 2008.

Lord Young of Norwood Green: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) last published its assessment of the financial health of the higher education sector in July 2009. The circular Single Conversation: Annual Accountability Returns can be found on the HEFCE website at www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce,2009,09_26. The next assessment is due to be published in July 2010.

Higher Education: Overseas Students

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the net annual financial benefit to the United Kingdom of students from non-European Union countries attending United Kingdom (a) public sector universities and colleges, and (b) private colleges.

Lord Young of Norwood Green: Estimates of the financial benefit to the UK of overseas students attending publicly funded higher education institutions, for the 2007-08 academic year, include the following:
	HEI income from non-EU students was £ l.88 billion;
	personal off-campus expenditure of international students attending UK universities is estimated to be £2.3 billion;
	international student expenditure generated almost £3.3 billion of output across the economy;
	gross export earnings for the HE sector are estimated to be over £5.3 billion-this includes the international revenue earned directly by the universities together with the additional personal expenditure of international students and visitors.
	This does not include income from international students studying below HE level, or those studying at HE level in further education institutions. Equivalent information on international students attending private HE institutions is not held centrally. There are a number of private universities based in the UK whose students will benefit the UK to an extent, although these are not included in the above figures.
	Sources: "Resources of higher Education Institutions 2007/08", HESA (2009); "The Impact of Universities on the UK Economy", Universities UK (2009)

Housing

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to encourage house builders to construct houses with larger rooms.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government's planning policy for housing (PPS3) is clear on the need to achieve high quality new housing, including in terms of design and layout.
	Local planning authorities take this national policy into account when making decisions on planning applications, including considering the suitability of the size and layout of the home.

Housing

Baroness Wilkins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of publicly funded housing was built to the Lifetime Homes standard in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08, and (c) 2008-09.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: On the basis of completions in the given year, the following proportions of the National Affordable Housing Programme were built to Lifetime Homes Standards;
	2006-07 - 10.2%
	2007-08 - 12.9%
	2008-09 - 13.8%
	The Lifetime Homes Standard was also introduced in the Property and Regeneration Programme in 2005 and as such an increasing number of homes being delivered through this programme will attain the Lifetime Homes standard. We do not hold this information centrally and the figures could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Baroness Wilkins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of market housing was built to the Lifetime Homes standard in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08, and (c) 2008-09.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Baroness Wilkins: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by the then Minister for Housing, Caroline Flint, on 25 February 2008 (Official Report, Commons 25/2/08; col. 66 WS), whether all public housing will be built to Lifetime Homes standards by 2011.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Homes and Communities Agency will shortly be consulting on which core standards should apply across all of their programmes from April 2011. Decisions on particular standards such as Lifetime Homes will be made following that consultation.

Housing: Mortgages

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many households have been assisted through the Mortgage Rescue Scheme; in which local authority areas the Scheme has been used; and how much of the £200 million allocated to the Scheme has been used.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Mortgage Rescue Scheme has been operational across England since January 2009. As part of the monitoring arrangements for the scheme, headline data for January to September 2009, provided by local authorities operating the scheme and broken down by government office region, are available on the department's website. The figures can be accessed using the following link: http://www.communities. Rov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/mortgagerescuestatis tics.
	Figures reported by local authorities from January to September 2009 are provided in a table, which has been placed in the Library.
	In the current economic conditions, we have acted rapidly to put in place help and support for households struggling with their mortgage at every stage: from free debt advice when problems start, to free support for cases that reach court. Advice is available to all households struggling with their mortgage, with targeted schemes for those in most need. Data for the October to December period will be published on 11 February 2010.
	The Homes and Communities Agency will report spend through the Mortgage Rescue Scheme after the end of the current financial year.

Immigration: Repatriation

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they fund or support any repatriation service for (a) unemployed, or (b) homeless, European Union migrants, who wish to return to their home country but do not have the adequate funds.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: During 2009/10 we funded two voluntary repatriation services delivered by the third sector-one in London at a cost of £120,000 and a national reconnection team at a cost of £150,000.
	These services help migrants from the A8 and A2 accession states who are rough sleeping and destitute to return to accommodation in their home countries.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will reconsider their decision not to accept the first optional protocol to the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, having regard to the experience of the other member states of the European Union and the Council of Europe which have accepted the protocol.

Lord Bach: The Government remain to be convinced of the added practical value to people in the United Kingdom of rights of individual petition to the United Nations. Ratification of the optional protocol to the convention for the elimination of discrimination against women and the optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have not yet provided sufficient evidence to decide either way on the value of individual complaint mechanisms.
	We are not persuaded that comparative analysis of the experience of other member states of the European Union and the Council would be useful, given the different legal and judicial protections in place in different jurisdictions.

Islam and Citizenship Education Project

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in the Islam and Citizenship Education Project.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Islam and Citizenship Project has worked closely with the Muslim communities to develop 44 lessons (22 designed for 7-10 year olds and 22 for 11-14 year olds) for use in madrassahs (mosque schools). The lessons are available to download from the following website: www.theiceproject.com.

Mauritius

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last held bilateral discussions with the government of Mauritius on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: While the UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), my right honourable friend the Prime Minister agreed with the Mauritian Prime Minister, Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam, to establish a dialogue between officials. A meeting between UK and Mauritian officials was held at the FCO on 14 January 2009, and a further one in Port Louis on 21 July.
	The delegations discussed the latest legal and policy developments relating to BIOT. Both delegations set out their respective positions on sovereignty and the UK also set out how the UK needed to bear in mind its treaty obligations with the US and our ongoing need of the British Indian Ocean Territory for defence purposes. There was mutual discussion of fishing rights, the environment, continental shelf and future visits to the Territory by Chagossians.

Mauritius

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to hold bilateral discussions with the government of Mauritius on the future sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: Discussions over the timing of the third round of bilateral talks on the British Indian Ocean Territory are still ongoing between the two Governments.

Mental Incapacity Act 2005

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what response they will make to the representations made to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, Bridget Prentice, by Richard S Jackson for RESCARE on 29 January on the interpretation and implementation of the Mental Incapacity Act 2005; and what action they will be taking on the issues raised.

Lord Bach: Mr Jackson has raised concerns around the circumstances in which family members may be appointed as personal welfare deputies under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
	It is important to make clear that any decision to appoint a deputy in a given case is entirely a matter for the Court of Protection and will be taken based on the individual circumstances of the case. If an applicant is unhappy with the court's decision then they are at liberty to appeal.
	In making any such decision, the court's powers are subject to the provisions of the Act and, in particular, to the principles of the Act and the requirement that any decision is in the best interests of the person concerned. The court must also have regard to the Act's requirements that a decision by the court is to be preferred to the appointment of a deputy and, where the appointment of a deputy is necessary, their powers should be as limited in scope and duration as is reasonably practicable.
	The code of practice issued under the Act specifically advises that deputies in personal welfare cases will only be required in the most difficult cases, such as those involving important and necessary actions that cannot be carried out without the court's authority, or in situations where there is no other way of settling the matter in the best interests of the person who lacks capacity. In many cases the existing provisions of Section 5 of the Act will generally provide sufficient authority to make decisions in the best interests of the person lacking capacity without the need for a deputy to be appointed.
	It was never the intention of the Act that personal welfare deputies would be routinely appointed without establishing to the court's satisfaction why the appointment is necessary and in the best interests of the person concerned.

Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to implement the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007.

Lord Adonis: We have consulted on the implementing provisions for the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007 contained within the draft Marine Navigation Bill on which pre-legislative parliamentary scrutiny was undertaken in 2008.
	Subject to inclusion of the Bill in the parliamentary legislative programme, the Government intend to implement the convention as soon as possible.

National Insurance

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many National Insurance numbers have been issued to foreign nationals in each of the last ten years.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The available information is in the table. Data are not available prior to 2002.
	
		
			 The number of national insurance number registrations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK, by financial year 
			 Year Number of national insurance number registrations 
			 Jan 02 to Mar 02 69,710 
			 2002-03 346,230 
			 2003-04 373,500 
			 2004-05 435,350 
			 2005-06 663,060 
			 2006-07 705,840 
			 2007-08 733,090 
			 2008-09 686,110 
			 2009-10 (Not complete) 117,750 
			 Notes:1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.2. Some additional disclosure control has been applied. 3. 2009-10 financial year is up to Jun 2009.4. Registration date is derived from the date at which a national insurance number is maintained on the national insurance recording system. 5. Years are financial-based (1 Apr - 31 Mar).Source: 100% extract from national insurance recording system

NHS: Channel Islands

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what instructions they have issued to the National Health Service on charging residents of the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey for healthcare; and whether they have advised British-born residents and the travel industry of the healthcare charges in those islands.

Baroness Thornton: As part of a significant awareness campaign prior to the ending of the bilateral healthcare agreement with the Channel Islands, every National Health Service trust was informed that Channel Islands visitors requiring treatment other than that provided in accident and emergency should be charged as an overseas visitor from 1 April 2009. In addition, a local and national media campaign in online and printed press was undertaken. The travel industry was targeted as part of that campaign. A similar campaign in relation to the Isle of Man will start soon working closely with the Isle of Man Government.

NHS: Training

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether placements in nurse training and education are under-funded; and, if so, by how much.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether placements for undergraduate medical students are over-funded; and, if so, by how much.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the reasons for the delay in providing financial support for all training placements for all students in healthcare disciplines.

Baroness Thornton: Proposals are being developed to introduce dedicated funding for selected clinical placements as part of the review of the Multi-Professional Education and Training (MPET) budget, which was commissioned following Lord Darzi's Next Stage Review. Implementation has been delayed at the request of stakeholders who have asked the department to ensure that any changes are carefully considered and, where appropriate, piloted before implementation, so as to avoid any unforeseen consequences such as destabilising clinical education, or organisations providing National Health Service services. The department supports this prudent approach and currently plans to start implementation in April 2011.
	Currently, the cost of supporting clinical placements for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals is included within general service prices. These costs are fully funded but the total costs are not identified or funded separately.
	Cost data collected from a sample of NHS organisations (as part of the MPET Review), to inform possible future placement rates, suggested that the aggregate sum invested in clinical placements for undergraduate medical students exceeds estimated costs by around £100 million per annum. The cost of clinical placements for pre-registration non-medical students proved more difficult to assess, because of the wide range of courses, settings and support provided in respect of different clinical placements. The review therefore concluded that it was not possible to establish a single, simple, universal non-medical clinical placement rate from such a limited costing exercise.
	Proposals have therefore been developed to use the placement rate that is used successfully for undergraduate training in social care, pending more accurate identification of the non-medical clinical placement costs through the annual reference costing exercise that is undertaken by all NHS trusts. These proposals are currently being considered with the NHS.

Northern Rock

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 27 January (Official Report, 27/1/10; col. 1485) saying that "all creditors [of Northern Rock (Asset Management)] will indeed be paid in full as and when liabilities mature", what is the position of undated bond holders; and whether they will receive interest.

Lord Myners: Lord Davies has written to Baroness Noakes clarifying the answer he provided about the position of creditors in Northern Rock (Asset Management) plc. A copy of that letter has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	When Lord Davies referred to "all creditors would be paid in full" he was referring to individuals and organisations that are covered by the Government's wholesale guarantee arrangements in respect of Northern Rock (Asset Management) plc that were restated on 8 December 2009. Such persons are all:
	unsecured and un-subordinated borrowings of Northern Rock (Asset Management);
	amounts owing by Northern Rock Covered Bond LLP; and
	unsecured wholesale depositors.
	The guarantees arrangements are subject to various exclusions from scope, including exclusions for securities issued pursuant to Northern Rock (Asset Management) plc's "Granite" securitisation programme. The guarantee arrangements in respect of covered bonds are currently under review. Otherwise, the guarantee arrangements will continue until the wind down of Northern Rock (Asset Management) plc is completed. The Government has provided a working capital loan facility to Northern Rock (Asset Management) plc, currently up to £2.5 billion, to ensure the orderly wind-down of the Company and that it meets its contractual liabilities. A copy of the full terms of the guarantee arrangements are available from the Treasury website.
	The Government's present intention is that Northern Rock (Asset Management) plc will be sufficiently capitalised to meet its FSA regulatory capital requirements. To this end, the Government has provided a commitment to the FSA that up to £1.6 billion in additional capital support will be provided to Northern Rock (Asset Management) plc should the need arise. Beyond that, its position will be kept under review in the light of its financial performance.

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why no Minister in Her Majesty's Government was present at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe ministerial meeting in Athens on 1 and 2 December 2009.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary and his ministerial team were unable to attend the annual Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) ministerial meeting in Athens on 1 and 2 December 2009. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary, my honourable friend Ivan Lewis and my honourable friend Chris Bryant were answering Foreign Office Questions. I was returning from the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad and Tobago.
	The Foreign Secretary attended the OSCE Ministerial Council in Helsinki in 2008 and the Informal Ministerial in Corfu in June 2009.

Personal Care at Home Bill

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimates they have made of the additional administrative costs to local authorities of the assessments of individuals to be made as a result of the Personal Care at Home Bill.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimates they have made of the additional staff required to assess people for new care entitlements under the Personal Care at Home Bill, and to provide care to those assessed as entitled.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the cost of implementing the Personal Care at Home Bill after its first year of operation; and whether they will compensate local authorities for any costs above their current estimate of costs.

Baroness Thornton: The costs associated with increasing numbers of assessments have been included in the administrative component of table 2 in the Impact Assessment for the Personal Care at Home Bill. The costs of assessment for those already receiving free care or partially funding their care are in the system already. A copy of the Impact Assessment has already been placed in the Library.
	In the absence of firm data at this stage, we have assumed that the average cost of an assessment is £200 and that 135,000 extra individuals will be assessed per year, giving an overall cost estimate of £27 million per year, as shown in the impact assessment. This has been included in the estimated overall annual costs of £670 million per year for 2011-12.
	Councils that are not currently differentiating between people in the Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) Critical band and those in the Substantial band are not following the current FACS guidance, which makes it clear that councils should be doing this already.
	There would clearly be some additional assessments for people who are self-funders, or those with previously unmet needs and these are reflected in the estimates. For those in the FACS Critical band, who will need a further assessment of their personal care needs, we will be developing a simple, national tool to determine people's personal care needs which will ease the burden on authorities and ensure a consistent national approach.
	No separate estimate has been made of the numbers of additional staff who may be required to carry out assessments. It is for councils to decide how best to use the additional funding they will receive to manage services. In some cases, this may involve the redeployment of existing staff.
	The cost of implementing the Personal Care at Home Bill will be reviewed after 12 to 18 months. Any decisions on funding allocations to councils will be made in light of the review findings.
	The funding of £670 million available for the proposed measures requires councils to make significant efficiency savings (of £250 million in a full year) and this pressure, along with the scope for further efficiency gains, will be considered as part of the normal Spending Review process.

Planning: Disability Equality

Baroness Wilkins: To ask Her Majesty's Government which experts on disability and planning issues were invited to join the external sounding board to advise the Planning Directorate in Communities and Local Government, as noted in their Disability Equality Scheme published in December 2006; and how many times that board has met.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Communities and Local Government did not establish an external sounding board specifically to advise on diversity issues and planning. Instead relevant organisations have been added to the list of external consultees on planning policy.

Ports: Business Rates

Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Valuation Office Agency regarding a possible payment holiday in respect of the backdated element of port-side operators' business rates.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Valuation Office Agency is responsible for assessing all non-domestic property in England and Wales and for giving each one a rateable value. The local authority is responsible for using the rateable value to calculate the rates bill for applying any discounts or reliefs and collecting the money. The Government have had no discussions with the VOA concerning a possible payment holiday.
	The Government have listened to the concerns of businesses with significant and unexpected backdated bills, including some businesses within ports. It has legislated to enable such bills to be repaid over an unprecedented eight years rather than in a single instalment, helping affected businesses to manage the impact on their cash flows during the downturn by reducing the amount they are required to pay now by 87.5%.

Ports: Business Rates

Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Members of Parliament have made representations to them about the backdating of business rates on port-side operators since September 2009.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Department for Communities and Local Government has received correspondence from six MPs, concerning the issues arising from the rating review of ports, since 1 September 2009.

Ports: Business Rates

Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the backdating of business rates for port-side operators.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government have listened to the concerns of businesses with significant and unexpected backdated bills, including some within ports. It has legislated to enable such bills to be repaid over an unprecedented eight years rather than in a single instalment, helping affected businesses to manage the impact on their cash flows during the downturn by reducing the amount they are required to pay now by 87.5%.
	As at 8 October 8 2009, local authorities reported that ratepayers occupying 221 properties within ports had fully discharged their backdated liability and ratepayers occupying a further 200 business properties within ports had been granted a schedule of payments.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many foreign nationals were sentenced to (a) first, (b) second, (c) third, and (d) fourth or more custodial sentences in (1) 2006, (2) 2007, and (3) 2008.

Lord Bach: The requested information is not available. The Ministry of Justice uses an extract of data taken from the police national computer (PNC) to analyse the criminal history of offenders in England and Wales.
	However, the recording by the police on the PNC of the nationality of offenders is optional as there is no legislative obligation on individuals to provide this information. For this reason reliable statistics on the nationality of offenders and their criminal history cannot be compiled.

Public Bodies

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many employees of non-departmental public bodies are members of the partnership pension account; how many of those are entitled to employer contributions of between six per cent and 10 per cent; and how many are entitled to employer contributions of more than 10 per cent.

Baroness Crawley: The information requested is not held centrally.

Questions for Written and Oral Answer

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance is given to ministers in the Ministerial Code about answering parliamentary questions.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Section 1 of the Ministerial Code, which incorporates the Resolution of both Houses, makes clear that Ministers have a duty to Parliament to account and be held to account for the policies, decisions and actions of their departments and agencies. This includes answers to Parliamentary questions.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary to act as a force multiplier in the event of privatisation, part privatisation or having its management outsourced to a commercial organisation.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the consequences for the strategic capability of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary of its privatisation, part privatisation or having its management outsourced to a commercial organisation.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the approaches of other NATO and major Commonwealth countries in examining the possible privatisation, part privatisation or outsourcing of the management of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the effect of any privatisation, part privatisation or outsourcing of the management of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in contributing to their social and economic priorities by providing opportunities for training and careers afloat and ashore.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: These issues will be considered as part of the review of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, which is ongoing.

Royal Navy: Atlantic Patrol Task

Lord Watson of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the status and resourcing of the Royal Navy's Atlantic Patrol Task (North); and why it is not participating in the relief efforts for Haiti.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The primary purpose of the Atlantic Patrol Task (North) is the promotion of British interests in the region and the security of the overseas territories. The Royal Navy has a task to maintain a presence in the Caribbean during the hurricane season. As part of a package of savings measures identified to enable the MOD to remain within 2009-10 budgets, cover outside the hurricane period has been temporarily withdrawn. We expect the task to resume in time for the forthcoming hurricane season.
	Working closely with colleagues in the Department for International Development, the Royal Navy is supporting relief efforts. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary "Largs Bay" departed the UK on 3 February and is expected to arrive in Haiti around the 19th of the month, staying in the region for a number of weeks. She is carrying shelter materials, as well as critically needed port handling equipment and vehicles for use by Save the Children, the International Federation of the Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies.

Shipping: Light Dues

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Adonis on 13 January (WA 166), and following the judgment of the Competition Appeal Tribunal of 21 December 2009 in BAA Limited v Competition Commission (CAT 35), whether it was appropriate for Strategic Transport Solutions to participate in the review commissioned on behalf of the General Lighthouse Authorities on the impact of light due increases, when one of its partners was also a board member of the Commissioners of Irish Lights.

Lord Adonis: Further to my Written Answer on 13 January, I do not consider the judgment referred to by the noble Lord to be relevant. While it is correct that a partner in Strategic Transport Solutions is a board member of the Commissioners of Irish Lights, the possibility of an apparent conflict between those positions was considered at the time and appropriate steps were taken to ensure that person took no part in the review of the impact of light dues increases.

Statutory Instruments

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government why, when a statutory instrument is reissued to correct an error, the amendments to the original version are not listed.

Lord Bach: Information about the nature of changes to an instrument should be contained within the Explanatory Note. Guidance to departments in Statutory Instrument Practice states that "the explanatory note should help the reader to understand the instrument's effect without looking up other provisions. Thus the note to an amending instrument should make clear the point and substance of the amendment". This guidance will be amended to make clear to departments that when a defective instrument is corrected and reissued, they must provide information about amendments made to the original instrument.

Sufi Muslim Council

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Communities and Local Government has investigated whether Mr Haras Rafiq, the former head of the Sufi Muslim Council, has misappropriated Government funding.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not investigated whether Mr Haras Rafiq has misappropriated government funding.

Sufi Muslim Council

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 16 December 2009 (WA 254), whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the end of year evaluation reports submitted by the Sufi Muslim Council.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 16 December 2009 (WA 254), whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of all the end of year evaluation reports of projects funded by the Community Leadership Fund.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: There are no plans to place evaluation reports from Community Leadership Fund projects, or reports submitted by the Sufi Muslim Council, in the Library of the House since they contain confidential information which those organisations conducting the projects would not anticipate seeing made public and disclosure at this time could undermine their (and others) co-operation and willingness to continue participating in the programme.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have not proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan under the Terrorism Act 2000.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the threat posed by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan to the United Kingdom and its interests overseas.

Lord West of Spithead: Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is not a proscribed organisation, and it is general Home Office policy not to comment on groups which are not on the proscribed list.

Terrorism: Internet

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the police have used powers under section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006 to seek the removal or modification of unlawful terrorist-related material from the internet in each of the last six months.

Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office and ACPO (TAM) have set up a new unit, the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU), which was launched in a pilot capacity on 1 February 2010. The CTIRU is responsible for the co-ordination and execution of voluntary and Section 3 take-down notices. Further details on the CTIRU, including statistics regarding take-downs, will be available in due course.
	To date, the preferred route for removing potentially unlawful terrorist content is through informal contact between the police and the internet service provider. This approach has proved effective. As a result, it has not been necessary to use the formal powers given under the Terrorism Act 2006 to seek the removal or modification of unlawful terrorist-related material from the internet.